How to keep wasps and midges away this summer..
It’s August, and with August comes an upsurge in bug life. Now, while we can all completely understand every living thing’s right to go about its business, eating, drinking and generally living the life it was born to, we would obviously prefer these same living things to go about their business at a safe distance from our outdoor seating areas.
So, how do we go about putting a happy distance between us and the wasps, mosquitoes, midges and flies who seem determined to ruin our few precious days and evenings in the summer sun?
There is chemical warfare, of course. You could sit with a spray can close to hand and squirt any beastie that dares show its face. It’s effective, but there is the significant drawback that anything we spray will drift across the huma occupants of the patio too, and inhaling toxic vapors is not the most fun way to spend an evening.
So, here are some environmentally- (and human-) friendly ways to fend off a bug incursion. They don’t offer 100 per cent success, but will certainly help keep those beasts at bay.
How to defend against wasps
Remove temptation – cover your food
Wasps are carnivorous, so they tend not to bother us for most of the summer, as they feast on aphids and other similar pests (see, wasps do have a use). They do however get addicted to a sweet secretion that is exuded by the growing grubs they look after in the nest. In late summer, when all the baby wasps have grown up, the worker wasps no longer get their hit from this source and it is then they turn their attention to the sweet things on our table. It is also in late summer that aphids die away, so the wasps are hungry. The easiest way to prevent them from discovering our food and drink, and the aggressive approach they will take to get at it, is to keep it covered up. Serve shared food in bowls with clothes to cover, or lids. It’s hard of course to keep glasses covered, but setting a glass of sugar water at a safe distance from the table, where no human arms will wave snapping cloths at them, is likely to be considered a safer option by incoming wasps.
Keep seating away from water
If you have a small pond or water feature, it’s a good idea not to set your seating nearby. Wasps gather water for nest building, so any standing water will be an attraction.
Make a home-made spray
While insect killing sprays are good for nobody to inhale, there are sprays you can make that wasps will avoid, but which won’t harm you.
The easiest is to mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and use it on the table and chairs, and all around the patio. Window frames and door frames and door frames too, will help prevent them from visiting the inside of your home. It will need doing daily, however, but don’t be alarmed, the scent of the vinegar doesn’t last long.
Alternatively, mix 12-15 drops of peppermint essential oil with water in a spray bottle and spritz it about the patio, table and chairs. You can soak cotton wool balls with peppermint oil too, or the spray mixture, and tuck them in around your seating area to act as a further deterrent.
How to keep midges and mosquitoes away
Midges and mosquitoes can ruin a summer evening barbecue, but there are steps you can take to keep them at a distance, naturally.
Apparently, there are certain smells that these annoying little insects don’t love, so if you create yourself a collection of patio pots filled with the necessary plants, you can move them around to wherever you are in the evening, and help keep them off you.
Basil
Basil grows fast, or you can pick it up very cheaply in your local supermarket, all handedly planted in a small pot. Prepare your patio pots with compost (you don’t need deep pots) and either lightly ruffle the surface and then scatter your seeds, or plant your supermarket basil into the pot. You will need a few, to place at strategic locations. Basil is a very thirsty plant, so don;t forget to water it in the morning and evening. In the evening, as the air gets a little more moist, the scent will really travel. And as an extra plus, you have fresh basics just an arm’s reach away, ready to scatter on your food.
Marigolds
The pungent scent of marigolds isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and midges agree. They’re very striking, though, with their rich orange tones, and three or five pots filled with their bright flowers will look striking and be effective, too. Placed alongside the rich green basil it’ll look very decorative.
Citronella candles
Midges don’t love the smell of citronella. You can find citronella candles in DIY stores and online, and will need a few to dot about the seating area to be sure they’re effective. If the smell repels you, too, try lavender or eucalyptus scented candles instead.
Peppermint oil
Midges and mosquitoes don’t like the scent of peppermint essential oil, so your wasp repellent can double up as a midge repellent, too.
Cover up
As the sun sets, the midges and mosquitoes make their appearance. They are drawn to us not by the smells of our food and drink, as wasps are, but by our human scent – warm and inviting and with access to fresh blood. The best way to avoid being bitten is to cover up. Long sleeves and trousers may not feel very summery, but even a mosquito can’t poke its blood-sucking equipment through a linen shirt.
Use insect repellent
You can buy insect repellents of various types in your local chemist, but most will be chemical based. If you don’t fancy that, especially for the delicate skin of children, Holland & Barrett have natural options worth exploring.
Eddie – Friday 2nd August 2024. (Image used from Egerton Road North, Whalley Range).
